1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image stabilization apparatus provided with a mechanism configured to correct image blur of an optical image formed by an image pickup optical system and an image pickup apparatus to which the image stabilization apparatus is applied.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, image pickup apparatuses are generally commercialized which are configured to sequentially photoelectrically convert an optical image formed by an image pickup optical system using an image pickup device or the like, store the image signal thereby acquired in a storage medium as image data (still image) or video data (movie) in a predetermined mode or transmit the acquired image signal to an image display apparatus so as to be able to sequentially displayed.
Furthermore, in recent years, various camera systems are becoming widespread which install and fix the aforementioned type of image pickup apparatus outdoors or indoors so as to be able to monitor a situation of a region or space to be imaged all the time intended for fixed-point observation, monitoring or crime prevention.
Furthermore, among such camera systems, a type of network camera system or the like is being commercialized which includes an image pickup apparatus, a terminal apparatus and an image display apparatus or the like, all of which are connected to an existing network such as the Internet. Such a network camera system is configured such that by operating the terminal apparatus, an operator (user) can remotely operate the image pickup apparatus via the network, receive image data and video data acquired by the image pickup apparatus through the terminal apparatus via the network, display and confirm images based on the received image data and video data using an image display apparatus connected to the terminal apparatus.
Furthermore, various types of so-called vehicle-mounted camera systems are commercialized and widely used in which a type of image pickup apparatus similar to that applied to the above network camera systems is installed and fixed in a vehicle or the like to thereby display, on an image display apparatus, images of situations of a region which becomes a blind spot when seen from a driver's seat such as a rearward region or a sideward region of the vehicle, consecutively pick up images of regions surrounding the running vehicle to thereby record movie data for predetermined time periods before and after a predetermined time point (e.g., a time point at which an abnormal impact is received (a so-called time point of accident occurrence)) in a recording medium and use acquired forward field of view images or the like to control a lane keeping function or emergency stop function.
The camera systems of such a type tend to be often installed and fixed outdoors, indoors or in a vehicle or the like where the camera systems are not easily accessible to an operator's (user's) hand and are operated continuously in such a fixed state.
On the other hand, various conventional image pickup apparatuses provided with an image stabilization apparatus are disclosed, for example, in Japanese Patent Publication No. 5372641 and commercialized, the image stabilization apparatus being configured to be able to correct so-called image blur caused by a phenomenon in which the image pickup apparatus shakes when an image pickup operation is in progress, causing an optical image formed by an image pickup optical system to become unstable on a light receiving surface of the image pickup device.
The image stabilization apparatus disclosed in above Japanese Patent Publication No. 5372641 or the like is of a type in which image blur is corrected by moving part of optical lenses making up the image pickup optical system within a plane orthogonal to an optical axis at predetermined timing and in a predetermined direction. In this case, a movable portion of a mechanism section for performing image stabilization is configured to be supported to a fixed portion using a ceramic ball, a steel ball or the like. Here, the ceramic ball, the steel ball or the like are generally lubricated using grease or the like.